Why You May Have to Pay A Cruise Tax In Lisbon

I’ve got a love/hate relationship with cruises. I thought I’d hate them, until I took one and found out that I loved it. That being said, they are horrible for the environment, they don’t help local economies (really), and for a city as small as Lisbon they really cause an overinflation of neighborhoods that are already filled with expats/immigrants like me. There may be a new tax tourists have to pay, a Cruise tax in Lisbon.

Why Does Lisbon Want to Implement a Cruise Tax?

Carlos Moedas, Lisbon’s mayor, wants to apply this tax to tourists who come in by cruise. Why?

The city of Lisbon has put in a major investment into the docs. The pictures you see here were taken by me in 2014. As you can see, the docs next to the cruise boat look like nothing. Now, they are completely different. There was an investment of about 3.5 million euros to modernize the area. This investment resulted in 3 new kiosks. Miguel Rocha Vieira (a Michelin Starred Chef) is about to open up a restaurant too. an event area is being developed this year too. This tax is meant to offset the costs and to allow for more development in this area of the Alfama.

How Much Will The Lisbon Cruise Tax Cost?

Carlos Moedas said last week that the tax will be 1 Euro in February, but he expects it to get tosomewhere around 2 euros.

Fernando Medina had fixed, in February 2022, the tourist tax for maritime transport at one euro.

How Much Does The Tourist Tax Cost Now?

Currently, the tourist tax is charged per night (by your hotel or AirBnB) and not per arrival by air or sea. This means that if you come in by cruise and leave the same day, you paid no taxes. Each night you stay in Lisbon costs 2 Euros if you are more than 13 years old.